Teaching Kids About the World Through Food

By Peggy Ployhar As the air turns crisp and the world around us takes on a golden hue, it's the perfect time to infuse your homeschool routine with the joys of fall. Pumpkins, apple orchards, corn mazes—these seasonal delights are not only fun but can also be educational. Routine is crucial, especially for our special education homeschooled kids, but a touch of seasonal flair can make learning even more engaging. If you're looking to sprinkle some autumn magic into your homeschool lessons, here are 20 fantastic fall-themed activities. 20 Fall Special Education Homeschooling Activities Fall Candy Science: Explore STEM activities using candy corn. 10 Fall Movement & Sensory Activities: Enjoy a mix of indoor and outdoor sensory activities. Pumpkin Craft for Speech Activities: Engage in crafts that support speech goals. Fall Themed OT Activities: Choose from 30 activities to integrate a fall theme into your home-based occupational therapy. Fall & Thanksgiving Themed Unit Study: Dive into books, crafts, activities, studies, writing projects, and games. Why Do Leaves Change Color Science Project: Teach this simple science lesson with items from your yard and house. Autumn Sensory Story: Create sensory storytelling experiences for children with multiple learning delays or visual impairments. Halloween Social Stories: Access 16 stories and 2 videos to help children navigate Halloween social situations. Fall Lego Building Challenges: Tackle 20 Lego challenges centered around fall. Fall Tree Luminaries Craft: Turn jars into glowing works of art with this easy craft project. Leaf Preservation Ideas: Learn three different methods to preserve beautiful fall leaves. Fall Sight Word Scavenger Hunt: Make reading active with this sight-word scavenger hunt. Scarecrow Alphabet Activity: Enhance letter recognition with a fun scarecrow activity using felt, a die, and stickers. 20 Fall Speech and Language Activities: Discover numerous resources to work on speech and language goals. Fall Leaf I Spy Game: Enjoy a free printable game of Leaf I Spy. 30+ Pumpkin Learning Activities: Utilize pumpkins to teach various learning concepts. 40 Fall Fine Motor Activities: Incorporate the fall theme into fine motor skills practice with this extensive list. Fall Books for Speech Therapy: Use four popular fall books to support speech goals. 41 Pumpkin Writing Prompts: Encourage writing with these pumpkin prompts for your student. Fall Unit Study: Integrate the fall theme into literature, language, art, math, science, and history lessons. For more fall SPED homeschooling ideas, be sure to check out our SPED Homeschool Fall Pinterest Board.  Embrace the season and make your homeschooling experience both educational and enjoyable with these fall-themed activities!

In this episode of Empowering Homeschool Conversations, host Annie Yorty welcomes Joy Burns, a retired homeschooling mother and garden educator at the JC Raulston Arboretum at NC State University. With her combined expertise in education, communication, and nature programming, Joy is passionate about helping families embrace nature’s classroom as a powerful learning environment.  Join us as Joy shares practical ways to incorporate outdoor learning into homeschooling, from hands-on garden activities to fostering curiosity through nature exploration. Whether you're looking for simple ways to get outside more or structured nature-based lessons, this conversation will inspire you to make the natural world a central part of your child’s education.  To connect with Joy and her resources, use this link: https://jcra.ncsu.edu/  Viewers like you funded similar episodes, and other free resources from SPED Homeschool. To learn how you can support the nonprofit work of SPED Homeschool and this broadcast, visit https://spedhomeschool.com/donate/ NEW to SPED Homeschool and the Homeschool Heroes platform: Consultations and Cognitive Testing.  Here is Now What's Available for Your Family through SPED Homeschool:  One-on-One Consultations – Get expert guidance in homeschooling a struggling student, curriculum choices, accommodations, behavior strategies, executive function support, high school planning, and more. Our consultants provide personalized recommendations to help you move forward with confidence. https://www.spedhomeschool.com/consultants  MindPrint Cognitive Assessment – Finally, a strengths-based approach to education. This easy, at-home cognitive assessment provides unbiased insights into how your child learns best. It helps you understand where they’ll naturally excel and where they may need extra support—allowing you to tailor your teaching effectively with data that tells you exactly how your student learns best! https://www.spedhomeschool.com/store/products/4344/mindprint-student-assessment  MindPrint + Consultation Bundle - When you bundle the MindPrint test with a consultation, you unlock a database of MindPrint teaching resources only accessible to our consults, which gives you even more in-depth and personalized homeschooling help to help your student learn successfully. https://www.spedhomeschool.com/store/products/4345/mindprint-student-assessment-plus-consultation  You don’t have to struggle through this journey alone. We’re here to give you the tools and confidence you need to create a home learning environment where your child flourishes.  To find out more about SPED Homeschool, visit our website at https://spedhomeschool.com/ To learn about the other Empowering Homeschool Conversations Co-Hosts and their resources, visit:  https://annieyorty.com/ https://www.leilanimelendez.com/https://elarplearning.com/ https://solimaracademy.com/  Join our mission to empower homeschool families! https://spedhomeschool.com/donate/ Join our mission to empower homeschool families!: https://spedhomeschool.com/donate/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.